Tizen Is The Fulcrum Samsung Can Use Against Android And Google

Here comes Tizen! Yes it's another new mobile OS based on Linux, yes it's another mobile OS which will be released on a small number of handsets, and yes it's unlikely to trouble the top ten handsets of 2013, but Tizen has an important role for Samsung's mobile division.

Samsung is looking at the release of a Tizen phone at some point this year, with an announcement of the handset expected in the near future.

The Tizen mobile operating system is part of the Linux Foundation, with strong support from Samsung and Intel. There has been a long period of development, but version 2.0 of Tizen should be released during January, with an appearance on a mobile device in the first quarter of 2013.

That mobile device, naturally, is going to be from Samsung, and it's going to be impossible to not mention Tizen without mentioning Android. Samsung's recent success has been driven by the Galaxy range of consumer electronics all running the Android OS. Tizen is not going to replace Android on these handsets, but what Tizen will immediately do is give Samsung an option running on low and mid range devices. An option that they completely control.

Ecosystems have lock-in for consumers, but they also have lock-ins for manufacturers. At the moment Samsung is reliant on Android for continued success, and while there are no signs that they will drop the OS (or that Google will restrict access or start doing silly anti-competitive things with their own platform partners). But if Samsung's management are listing 'threats', then 'issues with Android' has to feature near the top.

That's what I find interesting about Tizen. It's going to be released in a phone, in small numbers (likely DoCoMo in Japan) and not threaten the Galaxy brand, but Samsung is going to gain a lot of knowledge from the public release of the operating system... a system that is still open source, but is not controlled by Google (who compete directly with Samsung through the Motorola division).

Would Samsung make a drastic change? Probably not. But they should be heartened by some research from Market Strategies released this week that casts some doubt into the automatic assumption that consumers stay within a single platform:

Differentiation by ecosystem is not currently a primary driver in the selection of mobile devices for the modern, savvy consumer, but there are key differentiators that each OS can enjoy and exploit. The evolving impact of these factors in a fast-moving space will continue to be fascinating to watch (and research).

That's where Tizen will be able to build if it is called up for front line duty. The strong Samsung name remains; consumers are happy to make a 'one time' effort to move content; and all their applications from their Galaxy devices? The Android apps should move over as well thanks to the Application Compatibility Layer in Tizen with minimal work. Which developer is going to ignore a market the size of Samsung?

Samsung is unlikely to pull the trigger and make a wholesale change to Tizen from Android. But very soon the option will be there, which puts them in a very strong negotiating position if it is needed, and a viable option if they walk away from Google.